By RHEA-FRANCES TETLEY
Staff Writer
Crestline Postmaster Ken Cooper set up a big display for the celebration of ZIP Code Day in Crestline on 9-23-25 when the date matched the town’s ZIP Code.
Postmaster Cooper had been planning the event for months. He had a cache envelope stamp designed by Aaron Hernandez and a special rubber hand cancellation postmark designed, too. The postmark has a drawing of two bears in front of Lake Gregory with the mountains in the background. Across the top of the cancellation stamp it says “Crestline CA, 92325” and across the bottom it states “Date Meets Zip Station” with the date 9-23-2025 on the sides.
The envelope design has two ribbons across the top and bottom with envelopes floating into a mailbox in the center with the words “Date meets Zip Code” and “Estd. 1919” on both sides. Across the top, inside the ribbon, it states “Once in a Lifetime” and in the ribbon across the bottom it reads “Crestline CA, 92325.”
There were a few envelopes leftover at the end of the day and Cooper said he would be selling them for $3 with the special hand stamp until they are gone. He plans to continue to hand-stamp any envelopes as requested until the end of the month.
Local historians Rhea-Frances Tetley and Russ Keller explained the historical display to postal patrons during Zip Code Day. (Photos by Douglas W. Motley)
Hundreds of people came into the post office to get the special cancellation on their letters.
On Sept. 23, Rim of the World Historical Society members Rhea-Frances Tetley and Russ Keller set up a historic display with eight posters on the history of the Crestline post office, celebrating the numerous post offices that have merged into the Crestline office, i.e. The Incline, Skyland Heights (both in operation before the Crestline post office was established in 1919), Moonlake (another smushed together post office name) Switzerland and Cedarpines Park post offices.
Another display from Keller’s private collection showed actual historic postmarks from the previous post offices that have merged in to the Crestline post office. Keller also had a display on Mr. ZIP and some promotional materials from when the ZIP Code began in 1963. Many people stopped and asked about the displays and Keller and Tetley happily answered those questions and shared even more local historical facts.
Upon entering the post office lobby, everyone was greeted with a cheerful “Happy Zip Code Day.” Plus, there were refreshments to help the post office and the community celebrate.
“I was pleased to see so many people interested and engaged in this special Zip Code Day today,” said Cooper. “It won’t occur here again for another hundred years. I am glad I got to help the community celebrate. They seemed to enjoy it.”
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